A relationship-driven fantasy with much to offer.
A political assassin sent to save her kind must discover who her true enemies are.
A so-called peace between humans and Witchik is maintained through a treaty—a one-sided treaty that’s slowly threatening the witches’ existence. When the treaty demands that Ranka serve as the Bloodwinn, or prince’s bride, she refuses—only to have close friend Yeva mistakenly abducted in her place. Ongrum, Ranka’s coven leader, sends her to the capital city of Seaswept to rescue Yeva and assassinate the prince, but he and his twin sister aren’t what she expects. Sheltered Prince Galen’s kindhearted; icy, calculating Princess Aramis matches her brilliance with her goodness. Aramis and her best friend, a mysterious ambassador, have been desperately trying to cure a new plague that’s claiming witches—turning them into warped versions of the special kind of witch Ranka is, a blood-witch or nigh-uncontrollable killing machine. Working with the twins, Ranka learns dark secrets about the disease and who the villains really are in the twisty plot (which becomes a marathon of action and betrayal in the final act). Ranka and Aramis’ slow-burn romance is rewarding. Some worldbuilding questions are left unanswered, as the story’s more concerned with narratives about betrayal of trust and untangling abuse and manipulation from love. Large, muscular Ranka is White; the twins are Black. There’s racial diversity that holds no in-world significance among humans of all classes and witches (who can be of any gender).
A relationship-driven fantasy with much to offer. (Fantasy. 13-18)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-9351-3
Page Count: 480
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in.
Black is back with another dark tale of Faerie, this one set in Faerie and launching a new trilogy.
Jude—broken, rebuilt, fueled by anger and a sense of powerlessness—has never recovered from watching her adoptive Faerie father murder her parents. Human Jude (whose brown hair curls and whose skin color is never described) both hates and loves Madoc, whose murderous nature is true to his Faerie self and who in his way loves her. Brought up among the Gentry, Jude has never felt at ease, but after a decade, Faerie has become her home despite the constant peril. Black’s latest looks at nature and nurture and spins a tale of court intrigue, bloodshed, and a truly messed-up relationship that might be the saving of Jude and the titular prince, who, like Jude, has been shaped by the cruelties of others. Fierce and observant Jude is utterly unaware of the currents that swirl around her. She fights, plots, even murders enemies, but she must also navigate her relationship with her complex family (human, Faerie, and mixed). This is a heady blend of Faerie lore, high fantasy, and high school drama, dripping with description that brings the dangerous but tempting world of Faerie to life.
Black is building a complex mythology; now is a great time to tune in. (Fantasy. 14-adult)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-31027-7
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations.
Magic, mystery, and love intertwine and invite in this newest take on the “enchanted circus” trope.
Sisters raised by their abusive father, a governor of a colonial backwater in a world vaguely reminiscent of the late 18th century, Scarlett and Donatella each long for something more. Scarlett, olive-skinned, dark of hair and attitude, longs for Caraval, the fabled, magical circus helmed by the possibly evil Master Legend Santos, while blonde, sunny Tella finds comfort in drink and the embraces of various men. A slightly awkward start, with inconsistencies of attitude and setting, rapidly smooths out when they, along with handsome “golden-brown” sailor Julian, flee to Caraval on the eve of Scarlett’s arranged marriage. Tella disappears, and Scarlett must navigate a nighttime world of magic to find her. Caraval delights the senses: beautiful and scary, described in luscious prose, this is a show readers will wish they could enter. Dresses can be purchased for secrets or days of life; clocks can become doors; bridges move: this is an inventive and original circus, laced with an edge of horror. A double love story, one sensual romance and the other sisterly loyalty, anchors the plot, but the real star here is Caraval and its secrets.
Immersive and engaging, despite some flaws, and destined to capture imaginations. (Fantasy. 14 & up)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-250-09525-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
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